School News

from Foxcroft Academy Alumni Magazine (Fall 2021)

by Foxcroft Academy

Class Notes - Keeping in Touch

At FA, You're Part of the Community

EVEN WITH A worldwide pandemic happening around us, Foxcroft Academy was still home to over fifty international boarding students representing over twenty countries. While it was a different year, our boarding students made the most of it with trips all over the state. From white water rafting, to going up mountains, to trips to Bangor shopping, students and dorm parents grew closer over the nine months together and formed bonds that will last a lifetime.

This program sets us apart from so many other schools in the state, and we are proud to be the home for so many international students. There are Ponies all over the world!

A LETTER FROM OUR STUDENTS A Letter of thanks and appreciation from Joon Yeob Kim (Matthew), boarding student ’16

DATED 5/16/20 Dear Mr. Shorey, I hope you and your family, and our Ponies are staying safe and well. My name is Matthew and I graduated from FA in the class of 2016, and now I just graduated from UMass at Amherst.

I am sending this email because I am so thankful to our FA and I wouldn’t have been able to be where I am right now without a wonderful community like FA. When I first came to FA my primary goal is to just learn English. However, I fell in love with the beautiful environment in Maine, and the kind minds of people in Dover-Foxcroft. That gave me a reason for me to continue my studies in the United States. I was wishing I could visit FA after graduation and appreciate you and everyone in person, but since the situation (COVID) doesn’t allow that, I just wanted to say thank you to all the people at FA via e-mail.

In past years, there were times that I didn’t know where to call home. Sometimes, I felt alone and scared to continue my journey. However, thinking of all the kindest people I met at FA, it gave me the courage to find my way. I wish FA will continue to be a safe home that students can pursue their dreams regardless of where they are from and who they are.

Thank you. I am looking forward to the day I can see all of your smiles. “WHEN I FIRST CAME TO FA MY PRIMARY GOAL IS TO JUST LEARN ENGLISH. HOWEVER, I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT IN MAINE, AND THE KIND MINDS OF PEOPLE IN DOVER-FOXCROFT.”

Joon Yeob Kim

Industrial Technology Department Receives “New” Welding Equipment from KVCC

THIS SCHOOL YEAR brings new and exciting changes to the Foxcroft Academy Industrial Technology Department. Thanks to the generosity of Brian Jonah ’04, Chair of the Welding Department at Kennebec Valley Community College, Foxcroft Academy is the benefactor of six lightly-used welding booths, along with fume extractors, filters, hoods, and other parts that make these units state-of-the-art for our students. This “new to us” equipment is already being used in Mr. John Sylvester’s ’91 first-semester welding classes, and his students are eager to have the chance to work with the new tools. “This generous gift from KVCC helps us replace some older equipment in the welding shop and makes it so we can jump in with more advanced welding techniques,” said Sylvester. “Students who have come out of these classes are already learning a lot about welding, but now, they can practice skill sets that many in the trades are just figuring out as well.”

“I’m glad Brian thinks so highly of our program that he reached out to me when KVCC was updating their welding equipment,” said Sylvester. “He was a student of mine that took to the trade and has turned it into a great career. And this was a real alumni project as Rick Ladd ’90 and his son Caleb ’19 offered their services to deliver the equipment at no cost. I want to thank all of them for their contributions to our program.”

Foxcroft Academy boasts a robust Industrial Technology Department with hands-on classes and training in welding, auto maintenance, small-engines, woodworking, drafting, and more. The addition of this new equipment to the welding shop only adds to the quality program offerings. “While schools around us are phasing out classes involving the trades, Foxcroft Academy has doubled down on our commitment to the programs and our students that want them,” said Head of School Arnold Shorey. “There are big career opportunities in the trades, all over the state and the country, so if we can provide a viable avenue for our students to get hands-on training now, we are going to continue to make it happen. And Mr. Sylvester’s students come out of our technology programs ready and eager to work in the field.”

Thanks to funding from the State of Maine, KVCC was able to overhaul their welding shop. According to Brian, deciding what to do with the outgoing welding booths was not a hard decision. “John Sylvester is my former teacher and a member of our KVCC Welding Advisory Board,” said Jonah. “When this equipment became available, I knew exactly where I wanted it to go as my administration thought it would be a great idea to help the future generations of high school welders get a head start on their aspirations.”

Ms. Morgan Rublee – Teaching Students Outside the Walls of Foxcroft Academy

IF ANYTHING CAME out of the COVID-19 pandemic in the educational realm, it was the emergence of online or remote learning. Like all other schools in the state, Foxcroft Academy needed to make the switch in March 2020, before coming back to school with a hybrid model last year. Since then, for most teachers, it’s back to the physical classroom this year, except for one English instructor: Ms. Morgan Rublee.

Rublee, English Department Head, moved to El Paso,

Texas, after the conclusion of the 2021 school year, to be with her fiance, an active duty member of the United

States Army. She was ready to leave Foxcroft Academy after seven years of working with students of all levels.

However, with remote learning becoming a reality, the idea of allowing Ms. Rublee to continue teaching from 2,600 miles away wasn’t that far-fetched.

“Even though I knew I’d follow my fiance wherever the military moved him, the thought of leaving

Foxcroft Academy broke my heart,” admits Rublee.

“When I went into Mr. Shorey’s office to resign, he asked if I’d be interested in staying on as a remote teacher. I hadn’t considered that a possibility, but staying with the Herd was an easy choice.”

Rublee is no stranger to technology and trying new, innovative ideas in the classroom. Even so, the idea of having a full-time remote teacher was not taken lightly, as students were told they would have to set aside time to connect with Ms. Rublee, as the class is taken asynchronously, meaning there are no set hours to meet. It was a similar experience for several students when taking courses in the hybrid model during the 2020-21 school year.

“Morgan has been the respected Head of our English Department for several years,” said Arnold Shorey. “I don’t like to lose quality teachers like her, so thinking outside the box, we came up with a solution that we all felt would work for both her and her students, especially after coming off a year of remote learning. Ms. Rublee is an excellent teacher, both inperson and online learning, especially in engaging her students, and we are fortunate to offer this option, as some students flourish with online learning.”

“Not seeing my students face-to-face every day has been a difficult adjustment. While I miss the energy of being in the classroom, I’m so thankful for the opportunity to continue with Foxcroft Academy,” says Rublee.

Rublee will be married in October and will head back to Texas, where she plans on living for the next couple of years, but luckily, she is never more than a Facetime call or Zoom session away. This is another way Foxcroft Academy is using emerging technologies to its advantage.

“WHEN I WENT INTO MR. SHOREY’S

OFFICE TO RESIGN, HE ASKED IF I’D

BE INTERESTED IN STAYING ON

AS A REMOTE TEACHER. I HADN’T

CONSIDERED THAT A POSSIBILITY,

BUT STAYING WITH THE HERD WAS AN EASY CHOICE.”

Two Members of the Herd say Goodbye

ALONG WITH SAYING goodbye to the Class of ’21 we also bid farewell to two staff members who have decided to leave the Herd this year, but not without leaving an indelible mark on our school. Mrs. Roxanne Davis Chase ’78 and and Mrs. Judy Gilbert retired at the end of the school, accounting for a remarkable 60 years of service between just the two of them.

After teaching for 36 years, 38 years if you count her first job after graduating from the University of Maine at Farmington, Roxanne Davis Chase ’78 is enjoying her retirement in her new home on Sebec Lake.

As chair of the Special Education Department and as a member of the Student Assistance Team, Roxanne’s presence at FA is greatly missed. As she said, “The friendship and support of my colleagues added to my teaching experience over the years, and I am forever grateful for the many friends and former co-workers who provided help along the way.”

Replacing Mrs. Chase as a special education teacher is Mrs. Camille Bozzelli Zepeda ’17, recently wed to Sebastian Zepeda ’15.

Mrs. Judy Gilbert, a registered nurse for over 40 years and our school nurse for the last 23, has helped keep FA students healthy and well during her time. In addition to our day students, she also took on the role of nurse to all our boarding students (no easy task). The COVID-19 pandemic created another nightmare

Roxanne Chase with Ruby Rideout '22

Judy Gilbert and Dayita Durachman '21.

for her, but she navigated our faculty, staff and students through it seamlessly. Taking over for Mrs. Gilbert is Mrs. Kimberly Orff.

While we hate to say goodbye, we are so happy for both of them. Congratulations and please enjoy your retirement! Remember, you can always come back and visit!

2021 SENIOR AWARDS

ON THE EVENING OF JUNE 9, 2021, OUR GRADUATES RECEIVED MANY AWARDS, TOO MANY TO NAME. PICTURED HERE IS ANNABELLE RHODA, VALEDICTORIAN OF THE CLASS OF 2021, WHO WILL BE ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AS A ZOOLOGY MAJOR. HERE IS A SAMPLING OF OUR 2021 STUDENT ACADEMIC AWARDS:

LATIN AWARDS

Hunter Kemp – National Latin Exam, Intro: Magna cum Laude Anna Morin – Intermediate Latin – Magna cum Laude Mimi Cameron – Excellence in Latin IV

SCIENCE AWARDS

Karen Desmond – Excellence in Graduation Level Chemistry Khrystofor Downing – Excellence in AP Physics Caleb Fockens – Excellence in IB (International Baccalaureate) Biology